TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND:

These are the reasons for this petition:

 WHEREAS early learning and child care are essential for children, families, and communities across Prince Edward Island, and when the early years system is weakened, the impact is felt by everyone;

AND WHEREAS cuts to early years funding can mean longer wait lists, fewer child care spaces, more pressure on parents, and families being forced to make impossible choices between going to work, staying home, or cutting back their hours;

AND WHEREAS education starts long before kindergarten, and Prince Edward Island should value the early years as a vital part of a child’s education, because this is when children build the confidence, social skills, literacy skills, physical skills and academic foundations they will carry with them for life;

AND WHEREAS the Province has reduced funding for pedagogical supports by up to 50 percent, even though these staff provide direct support to children, maintain program stability, and provide the quality care families expect;

AND WHEREAS cuts to training grants make it harder to bring new educators into the system, harder to keep current educators, and harder for early years centres to grow at a time when Island families need more spaces, not fewer;

AND WHEREAS these cuts may force some centres to reduce hours, cut spaces, limit services for families, or close entire locations, making life harder for parents, children, educators, employers, and communities across Prince Edward Island;

We petition the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island as follows:

To urge the Government of Prince Edward Island to reverse cuts to early years funding, including cuts to pedagogical and training support grants, and to restore stable, adequate funding so Island children, families, educators, and early years centres have the support they need.